Getting things done – Riverside Drive #dundeewestend

Recently, the traffic safety bollards in the middle of Riverside Drive, just north of the Botanic Garden, were damaged – apparently struck by a vehicle – see photo :

I reported this, at the request of residents, to the City Council and am grateful for the prompt response to put them back in place.

The council has further advised :

“Tayside Contracts (is) … going to replace them within the next month with new highly reflective bollards, but they’re back up for now.”

Ellis O’Connor – Frontier

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

Our first exhibition of 2020 has just gone up in the Tower Foyer Gallery, featuring dramatic paintings by an award-winning Dundee artist.

Ellis O’Connor studied Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, graduating in 2014. She completed an MFA in Arts & Humanities at the College in 2016. Since then she has won numerous awards for her work and undertaken several residency programmes, including in Iceland and Norway. In 2016 she was one of a group of artists who sailed around the Svalbard Archipelago in the High Arctic making work about the landscape and environment.

Ellis now lives on the Outer Hebridean island of North Uist. The new works made for this exhibition (entitled Frontier) respond to the turbulent and ever-changing environment which surrounds her. Writing about her work, she explains: “The dynamic energy conveys the movement and rhythms of the sea and the land … the merging of sea with air, advancing rain and mist, ever changing light – elements that seem to be about something intangible.”

Although Ellis has exhibited across the country, this is her first solo exhibition in her home city.

The exhibition runs until 28th March and is open Monday to Friday 9.30am-7pm and Saturday 1pm-5pm.

Bad news on West End car parking #dundeewestend

Residents will recall that, just before Christmas, I again reiterated my strong opposition to the council administration’s policy of introducing car parking charges into seven West End car parks.

The effect will be particularly difficult for residents and add to on-street car parking in the area.

I received the following update late yesterday from the council’s Parking and Sustainable Transport Team Leader :

“We expect the new car parking charges in the seven West End car parks to be introduced on Monday, 27 January 2020. In advance, we will advertise the change by way of signage and press releases from early next week. Meters have already been installed at most of the car parks and these will be commissioned on 23/24 January 2020. New tariff charge boards will be erected over the weekend of 25/26 January 2020.

New lighting is being installed by the Street Lighting Partnership in Roseangle Car Park during week commencing 20 January 2020. For a few days this car park will be closed to create a safe working environment. This closure will also be advertised in advance.”

The effect of these charges will be highly detrimental and, even at this late stage, I would urge the council administration to think again about introducing them.